FAQs

General Questions

What is the Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest?

The Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest is an art contest for fans of The Hobbit. Contestants will submit conceptual artwork and designs inspired by The Hobbit to the Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest website, where visitors will be able to rate their favorite entries. Four talented grand prize winners and sixteen additional finalists will win valuable licensed collectibles from The Lord of the Rings and the upcoming film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Who can enter the Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest?

The contest is open to persons ages 18 and over who are legal residents of the United States and Canada only (excluding Quebec). The contest is not open to any other country.

How will entries in the Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest be judged?

When the contest closes to new entries on October 15th, finalist images will be selected first and foremost based on the aforementioned judging criteria. Site visitors will still be able to rate finalist entries until October 31st. On November 1st, contest judges will be presented with the finalist entries for final judging, Judges will select a grand prize winner from each category based on the following criteria: creativity and originality, artistic merit, and relevance to the subject matter. The weight of the criteria, and the selection of winners, will be solely at the judges’ discretion.

When will the Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest start and end?

Entries will be accepted from September 1st, 2012 to October 15th, 2012, during which time site visitors are encouraged to share and rate as many entries as they like. On October 16th, 2012, twenty finalists will be announced and general submissions will be closed. From October 16th, 2012 to October 29th, 2012, users can rate their favorite finalist entries. The final judging will take place from October 30th to November 9th, 2012. Winners will be announced on or around November 12th, 2012. All winners will be announced on the website on or before the theatrical release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on December 14th, 2012.

Do the entries with the highest ratings win?

The judges will make the final call to choose the winners based on the aforementioned judging criteria.

How many winners and finalists will there be?

In total, the contest will have twenty finalists including four grand prize winners (five finalists including one grand prize winner from each category).

What prizes will be awarded to winners of the Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest?

Prizes differ between categories. Each category will award a grand-prize to the winner selected by the judges, and four finalist prizes to the remaining finalists. For more information on prizes for each category, visit the Prizes page.

Entry Guidelines

Do my entries need to look like the people/monsters/weapons/places from the movies?

Not at all. The Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest is about showcasing original, creative visions of The Hobbit. You’ll get better marks for originality and creativity from the judges if your artwork showcases your own take on Middle-earth and its inhabitants.

Can I draw my favorite characters, creatures, weapons, or places from The Lord of the Rings trilogy?

No. Your artwork should draw inspiration from the characters, creatures, weapons, or locations from the story of The Hobbit.

Can I enter something mentioned to in The Hobbit, even if it’s not a big part of the story?

Yes.

Can my entry include a totally new character, creature, weapon, or location of my own creation that would fit into The Hobbit?

No. However, if you are aware of what will be in the new film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, you are free to create that subject matter. Entries should represent subjects named or implied in The Hobbit.

Can my entry reimagine subjects from The Hobbit in a different setting (e.g. Steampunk Gandalf, modern-day trolls, Sting as a laser-sword, etc.)?

No. Your entries should fit within the world of The Hobbit and Middle-earth. Anything submitted outside of this criteria will be rejected.

Can I enter the Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest multiple times?

You may have up to four unique entries accepted into the Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest – one in each of the four contest categories. You may not enter the same category more than once.

Can I enter the same artwork in more than one category?

No. You must choose the most appropriate category for that artwork and enter it only once.

What format / size should my entry be?

Does my entry have to be a square?

What media can I use to create my entries?

Entries can be created from any two-dimensional medium such as pencil, ink, acrylic, pastels, oil paints, watercolor, 2D digital media, etc. If your best work is created from Crayons, you can use those, too! However, photography, sculpture, 3D models, or anything similar to these mediums will not be accepted.

Images in the gallery appear as both black-and-white and full color. Do I need to submit two images?

No. Submit your entries as you would like them to appear in color, and the website will automatically generate a more sketch-like version for use in the gallery.

If I submit a .PNG image, should it include transparency?

Transparency is permitted in .PNG images, but not required.

My entry was rejected. What should I do?

You should have received an email detailing why your entry was rejected. Possible reasons include entering an image into the wrong category, having an invalid title or description for your entry, or violating our other entry guidelines. We encourage you to correct the problem, or create a new image, and submit it again.

Categories

My artwork contains both characters and creatures wielding weapons in a location. Which category should I enter?

If your entry shows entities from multiple categories, try to choose the category that your entry focuses on. For example, if your image depicts Gandalf wielding Glamdring to battle the Goblins under the Misty Mountains, try to determine if the image is more about Gandalf fighting, or the Goblins swarming down on him, or the sword Glamdring in his hand, or the cave tunnels they’re fighting in. A strong entry will have a strong focal point, and that focal point will help you choose the right category.

Can one entry have more than one creature / character / weapon / location in it?

Yes, absolutely. Feel free to enter images of The Company of Dwarves, or the Goblins, Stone Trolls, Orcs and Wargs.

Is Gollum a Creature or a Character?

The dark power of the Ring has twisted Gollum into a Creature. Images focusing on Gollum should be entered into the Creatures category.

Is Beorn a Creature or a Character?

Beorn in human form is a Character. Beorn in bear form is a Creature. If your artwork shows both the human and bear aspects of Beorn, enter him into the category that the image focuses on more. If your artwork places equal focus on both forms, enter it into one category of your choosing.

I want to draw a suit of armor / ring / Elven symbol / etc. What category should that be in?

All entries into the Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest must fit within one of the four contest categories. If you have a great idea for something that isn’t represented in the available categories, try adding them into a category-appropriate entry. For example, if you want to redesign Galadriel’s ring, make that part of a drawing of Galadriel, or add your ideas for an Elven banner design into an image of Rivendell. But the focal point of the submission must fit into one of the designated categories.